Putin Extends Food Embargo Until 2018

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree banning imports of Western food products until the end of 2017.

The document was published on the government's legal information website Wednesday.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev proposed prolonging the embargo last month after the G7 group of world leaders agreed to extend their anti-Russian sanctions until the Minsk agreements were completely implemented.

Russia introduced the food embargo in August 2014. The measures were aimed at countries which had imposed sanctions on Moscow over the country's annexation of Crimea and involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.

The ban initially applied to meat, poultry, fish, cheese, milk, fruit and vegetables from the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia and Norway. In 2015, Albania, Montenegro, Iceland and Liechtenstein were added to the list.

Earlier this month, Russia lifted the embargo on the import of ingredients used for the production of baby food.